Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital - A History

Dr. Catherine Hamlin with nurses

In 1959 Dr. Reg and Dr. Catherine Hamlin came to Ethiopia to set up midwifery training centre at the Princess Tsehai Hospital in Addis Ababa.

They were touched by the difficulties faced by women with fistula injuries and were angered by the lack of healthcare and treatment available to them. They began offering surgery and as word spread, more and more women arrived. They started getting into trouble with hospital, as often the patients couldn't pay.

In 1975, the Hamlins opened their own 50 bed hospital which was able to treat approximately 25 women per week. Despite initially denying them any support, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health now provides funding for doctors and some of the nursing staff but the running costs of the hospital still require donations from organisations like Ethiopiaid.

In July 1993 Dr. Reg Hamlin sadly passed away but Catherine continues to work and perform surgeries at the hospital in Ethiopia. In 2008 the doctors treated over 1200 women. Last year the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital celebrated its 50th anniversary. The work of the hospital is just as important today, as it was when it was founded. Many patients have passed through its doors, but founder Dr. Catherine Hamlin is still carrying out the vital operations which restore these women's dignity and health.